But one Republican who knew the gubernatorial candidate from her days on the Forth Worth, Texas City Council is vouching for Davis’ record, saying she wouldn’t have come under the same scrutiny if she were a male candidate.

Becky Haskins, a former Republican ally of Davis’ in the city council, told the Fort Worth Star-Telegram in a column published Tuesday that Davis was a hard worker who did what she needed to do for her children. Haskins served on the council during Davis’ separation and divorce from her second husband Jeff Davis, who was himself a former city councilman.

An anonymous city council colleague of Davis’ had told the Dallas Morning News that she was “tremendously ambitious” and wasn’t “going to let family or raising children or anything else get in her way.”

Haskins said “what that comment really tells you is how hard Wendy works.”

“If this involved a man running for office, none of this would ever come up,” Haskins told the Star-Telegram. “It’s so sad. Every time I ran, somebody said I needed to be home with my kids. Nobody ever talks about men being responsible parents.”

“They wouldn’t be talking about Wendy if she weren’t a threat,” she added.